


Diego Doesn’t Like to Drink. It Makes Him Feel

by idkwriteshitdown



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Diego Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Gen, Good Sibling Klaus Hargreeves, Hurt/Comfort, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Stuttering Diego Hargreeves, Young Diego Hargreeves, Young Klaus Hargreeves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:46:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27051391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idkwriteshitdown/pseuds/idkwriteshitdown
Summary: Diego doesn't drink. Correction, he doesn't drink a lot. He knew they dulled his powers and he did not like that loss of control.---Or what happens when Diego gets his first drink.
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves
Kudos: 34





	Diego Doesn’t Like to Drink. It Makes Him Feel

Diego doesn't drink. Correction, he doesn't drink a lot. He knew they dulled his powers and he did not like that loss of control. Klaus was the one that gave him his first drink, proving himself to be the bad influence that Dad always said he was.

* * *

Diego cracked open the door and slowly peaked out his room. The hallway was empty. Checking to see if the coast was clear was merely a formality. Dad had cameras both in the hallways and in their rooms. But he also had a weird habit of walking around at strange hours, and it wasn't good to be caught out of the room by him when he was. Diego shuddered thinking of the last time he was caught after lights out. 

Seeing that the coast was clear he slowly stepped out. Carefully he walked towards the stairs. Years of sneaking around the house had taught him which floorboards creaked when you walked over them and which steps to skip over to avoid alerting the whole house of your presence. Diego found the easiest, and most fun, way to avoid the noisy stairs was to slide down the banister. He and Luther always competed with each other to see who could have the most impressive landing at the bottom. Silently Diego slid down the staircase landing into a roll at the bottom.

Diego stayed crouched at the bottom of the staircase. He cocked his head slightly listening for noises. Hearing none he moved forward towards the next room. He started humming a song under his breath that he had heard the other kids sing.

Diego had started sneaking out by himself just to get away from his house and other siblings for a while. He met a group of kids on one of his excursions. They invited him to play spies and other dumb games with them. It was fun pretending to be a normal kid and not Number Two of The Umbrella Academy.

With his back against the wall he peeked around the corner. Seeing it empty he quickly ran from there to the couch still humming under his breath. He crawled out from behind the couch and into feet. Diego froze and then slowly looked up.

“Having fun?” Looking down at him with an amused look on his face was Klaus.

Diego quickly jumped to his feet brushing the nonexistent dust off of his pajamas. “K-k-klaus.” he said. “Wh-what, uh, what are you d-doing?”

Klaus gave a lazy grin. “I could say the same to you little brother,” He reached out to ruffle Diego’s hair.

“Stop it.” Diego scowled slapping his hand away. Klaus had hit his growth spurt first and practically shot up overnight making him the tallest of all the kids. He spared no expense in lording it over his more vertically challenged siblings. Diego took a step back and looked at Klaus. He was leaning against the bar one hand behind the back. He looked relaxed but Deigo could see the tightness around his eyes.

“Ghosts?” he asked. 

“Oh you know,” he lazily waved a hand in the air. “They’re around.” he sniffed and flipped a finger to someplace in the distance. “You know my demons.” He giggled. “Why are you wandering around?”

Diego picked at his sleeve. “I was just going to get a drink from the kitchen.” He actually was going sneak out, but he didn’t want to tell Klaus that. Klaus would probably insist on tagging along and Diego wanted that to be just his thing.

Klaus raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know getting a drink involved rolling around the floor like an idiot.”

Diego flushed. “I d-didn’t know.” He paused “I didn’t know seeing ghost’s involved…” he trailed off and shoved Klaus as he started laughing. “Shut up. What’s behind your back?”

“Nothing, why would you think that”

Diego gave him a look. “I’m not stupid.” 

He lunged forward reaching past Klaus. Klaus quickly raised his hand revealing a bottle of dark red liquid. At the same time he turned to the side to avoid Diego.

“Careful” he exclaimed, cradling the bottle to his chest. “This is very precious cargo.”

Diego squinted looking through the dark to see the label. “Is that one of dad’s drinks?”

“Yes, and it’s the best one too.” He held up the bottle. “A fine red wine. Old too. Gets you drunk with style.”

“You drink that stuff?

“You don’t?” He reached over the counter to grab two wine glasses. “I was just about to go up to the roof to take a little sippy sippy. Come on little brother.” He flounced over to the stairs taking no heed of the noise he was making.

Diego sighed taking a longing look at the kitchen before running off to join his brother.

He caught up with his brother as he was struggling to open the door to the roof while juggling the bottle and the two wine glasses. Digeo moved him out of the way and opened the door for him. “Why are you so loud. Dad could hear us”, he hissed.

Klaus laughed. “Dad can’t hear us. And if he could,” He raised his voice leaning out into the hallway. “He can’t do shit -- Woah.” 

“Be quiet you idiot.” Diego pushed him through the door.

Klaus shrugged and sauntered over to the small picnic table they had set up on the roof. They had found it in the backyard one day and they all argued what to do with it before Five said that they would put it on the roof. Over the years they found, stole, more things to decorate their rooftop escape. That was when things were good. Before Five ran away. Before Ben died. 

“Are you going to join me?” Klaus motioned to an empty chair. Klaus poured them two generous helpings of the wine. “So you’re telling me you’ve never tried ANY of Reggie’s drinks?”

Diego took a glass and swirled the liquid around. He sniffed it wrinkling his nose at the smell. “No.”

“Huh,” Klaus said surprised. “I figured you would’ve. You know, with the amount of times you leave the Manor.”

Diego jerked, sloshing the wine on his hand. He set the glass on the table. “You know about that?” After Five left the siblings stopped their jaunts to the diner to get donuts. It wasn’t the same without him. Diego assumed that everyone else just stopped going out all together.

“Don’t be surprised. We all go out.” He frowned. “Except for that goody two shoes Luther.” He giggled, “or should I say goody one shoe. I don’t think Vanya goes out either, but did we really expect her too.” He took a sip from his glass. “Ah magnifico.”

Diego eyed him warily before reaching out and taking a sip from his own glass. He coughed spitting out the drink. “How do, how do you drink this stuff? How long have you been drinking this stuff?”

“I started when I was 15.” He took Diego’s glass and pushed it back up to his mouth. “You got to just drink through it. It’ll taste better the more you drink.” He paused. “You know even Allison got Luther to drink some.”

Diego grabbed his glass back from Klaus. He scowled down at it. He knew that Klaus knew that he would never let Luther one up him, even if he wasn’t actually here. He took a deep breath before drinking down the whole glass. 

“Woah” Klaus clapped. “Now we’re getting this party started.” He poured more of the bottle in both their glasses. “Drink up buddy. I’m trying to finish this whole bottle.”

“So, so, so, Klaus. How long have you been drinking?” Diego took a swig from the bottle. They had long since abandoned their wine glasses and relocated to sitting at the edge of the roof.

Klaus took the bottle back and began picking at the label. “I started when we were 15. Snuck out one night to taste one. I chose a scotch.” he gave a soft chuckle. “It tasted horrible. I almost threw up.” 

“Why did you keep drinking it then?” Diego asked.

Klaus sighed and took another sip. “Remember when we were 12 and I broke my jaw.”

Diego smiled. “Yeah you had to drink out of a straw for two months.”

A car drove by breaking the silence of the night. “Yeah well when it happened they put me on some pretty strong painkillers. It was glorious. All the ghosts were gone. I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want dad finding out. He’d probably do his stupid experiments.” 

Diego nodded sympathetically making grabby hands for the bottle. “Why’d you...wait so long to start drink, drinking then?”

“I didn’t know it would do the same. All I knew was that medicine would.”

“Huh. We all just thought you just got stupider af-after the fall.”

“Chasing that high baby.” He took the bottle back. “Dad was pissed. Said I was becoming a ‘useless junkie’. He had started having mom hide the medicine but at that point I already met Joseph.”

“Joseph?”

“Yeah he’s my weed man. I think you’d like him. Met him on one of my nights through town. It’s a nice feeling but doesn’t really get the ghosts to leave like the pills do. I told him once how I drink cough syrup and then smoke, and he laughed and asked why I just don’t drink regular alcohol.”

Klaus threw a rock off the side. They watched it as it bounced off the ground “Honestly I felt like an idiot when he explained it to me. Here we have a whole wall full of liquor and I’m wasting my time breaking into the medicine cabinets.”

“Hey I wonder if it has the same effect on you?” Klaus jumped up.

“What?” Diego looked up at his brother.

“Well drugs and shit make my powers go away. Do they do the same for you?” He looked around. “Go grab some rocks. Let’s see if we can hit that light post. I’ll give you 20 bucks if you can break it.”

“Fuckin easy.” Diego stumbled to his feet looking for something to throw. The boys hunted the roof top for loose pieces of stone.

“How many you got?” Klaus called out from the other side of the roof. 

Diego looked down at his hands. “I’ve got two. You?”

“I’ve got three. That gives you five chances to hit it.”

Diego walked back over to their drinking spot. “No way it’ll take me five.” Diego picked up the wine bottle and took a huge gulp. Tossing his stone up in the air Diego adjusted his stance and threw out into the night. They watched as it arced up in the air heading towards, and then past, the light post. “What?”

Klaus clapped jumping up and down. “Oh boy. Not Mr. Sharpshooter anymore.”

“It’s got to be a fluke.” Diego picked up another rock and hurled it at the lamp post. He watched in disbelief as it went even further off the mark than the first one. “No no no no no.” He dropped to the ground looking for the next rock.

Klaus grabbed him. “Hey are you okay?”

“It’s it’s n-not working.” He shoved him off lifting his hand to throw another rock. 

Klaus grabbed his arm and wrestled him to the ground. “It’s not supposed to work. That’s what it does.”

Diego bucked pushing Klaus off of him. He turned around to run but was tackled by Klaus again. Twisting around he threw a sloppy punch at Klaus that was easily deflected. “Calm down.” Klaus shouted. He grabbed one of Diego’s arms pushing it against him. He dropped his weight on Diego while trying to catch his other arm. “Will you just.” He grunted as a fist caught him in the side. He reached out immobilizing his brother. Breathing a sigh of relief he relaxed, catching his breath.

He lifted his head to look down at his brother. Diego’s face was scrunched up and there were tears in his eyes as he glared back at him. “It’s going to be okay.” Klaus said slowly. 

Diego relaxed the fight leaving him. He averted his eyes. “I d-don’t. I don’t like it.” He whispered.

“It’ll go away in the morning.” Klaus said he eyed his brother who was doing an amazing job at not letting the tears fall. “If I let go will you promise not to run away?”

Diego snorted. “Yeah, yeah, let me go asshole.”

“Bitch.”

They separated. Diego roughly wiped his face with the back of his hand before drawing his knees up to his chest. He felt Klaus sit down next to him cross legged. They sat like that for a while each of them lost in their own minds

“So they make the gh-ghosts go ‘way,” Diego slumped against his brother.

“Yup” Klaus said popping the p.

“So you can’t see Ben?” he asked.

Klaus tensed and looked down at Diego, then he looked up over Diego’s head. “Nope.”

“I miss him,” Diego said softly, closing his eyes.

“I miss him too.” Klaus threw his arm around the other bringing him close. 

They sat together like that, one leaning against the other, watching the empty night streets.

“Well it looks like we didn’t finish the bottle. Guess we have to try again next time bro. Diego? Diego?” Klaus shook his brother panicked. “Diego. Wake up. Please don’t make me drag you to your room. That’s not fair.”

Klaus laid Diego down before getting up behind him and grabbing his armpits. “This is not Karma” he grunted. “This is something worse than Karma.”

“Diego cracked open an eye. “Who you talking to?” he slurred.

“Oh great. You’re awake enough to hear us talk but not awake enough to help yourself get to your own room.” At that point Klaus had dragged Diego to the door of the rooftop. “I should just leave you out here.” He grunted. “You’re lucky I’m a good brother.”

Diego reached up to touch Klaus’s face. “You’re m’ favorite brother,”

“Well I sure hope so. I’d be sad if Luther was your favorite.” He lifted Diego up throwing an arm over his shoulder. “Jesus Christ. How can someone so small be so heavy,” Klaus groaned. “Shut up it’s not funny.”

* * *

“Ah, fuck” Diego jerked up covering his eyes with his hands. Almost immediately afterward he threw a hand over his mouth. He swallowed heavily trying to resist the urge to throw up.

“It’s time to wake up sweetie. You’re going to be late for breakfast.” Mom said from by the curtains. Diego groaned and rubbed his head. Mom sat on the bed next to him and rubbed his back. “You’ve learned a valuable lesson in why you should not drink in excess.” 

Diego looked at her. “You know?”

“I can recognize the signs of a hangover when I see it.” She smiled sympathetically. “Drink some water. It’ll help.”

Diego flopped back down on the bed. “I’m never drinking again.”

Mom stood up and walked to the door. “Sure you won’t. Don’t forget to show up for breakfast.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to check it out, [here](https://idkwriteshitdown.tumblr.com/post/631982740903968768/diego-doesnt-like-to-drink-it-makes-him-feel) is a link to the same fic on my tumblr. There's also other stuff like drawings.


End file.
